Secondary sources

• Secondary Source


  Interprets and analyses primary sources and are already published by another researcher. May have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources.
• Secondary Sources favoured by Positivists


  • Use methods that generate data from which findings can be generalised to the wider population (macro)
  • Are reliable as they argue society should be studied scientifically
  • Attempt to establish 'social facts'
• Secondary Sources favoured by Interpretivists


  • Use methods that generate detailed, in-depth data, which reveal the meanings individuals attach to behaviour
  • Attempt to establish ideal reality
• Once the Census becomes public, 100 years after it has been conducted, it is available for anyone to use making it a secondary source
• Over time change has occurred to the Census, death statistics are no longer included on social class to hide the growing life expectancy gap
• The Macpherson Report was a public inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager from Plumstead, Southeast London, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Well Hall, Eltham on the evening of 22 April 1993
• The public inquiry examined the original Metropolitan Police Service Investigation and concluded that the force was institutionally racist
• Thomas and Znaniecki used public and personal documents such as newspaper articles, letters and court documents to gain a better understanding of the experience of Polish migrants moving to the USA in the 20th Century
• Thomas and Znaniecki's research found that the Polish community was shaped less by US government policies, and more by their own culture and social ties and in conclusion said their research shows that the Poles are becoming not American but Polish-American, a new ethnic group, as their culture is changing to fit the American context but retaining some unique characteristics
• It may have been difficult for a non-Polish researcher to understand specifics of the documented interactions and language used, perhaps Polish slang in many cases
• Strengths of Secondary Sources

  • Practical - Cheap and Quick
  • Ethical - If Public, Informed Consent
  • Theoretical - Verstehen
• Limitations of Secondary Sources

  • Practical - Wording and Meanings
  • Ethical - Omissions, Can Leave out Useful Information
  • Theoretical - Unreliable
• Official Statistics


  Government collected quantitative data usually produced on an annual basis. This makes it a secondary source of data.
• Official Statistics favoured by Positivists


  • Use methods/approaches that generate data from which findings can be generalised to the wider population (macro)
  • Are reliable as they argue society should be studied scientifically
  • Attempt to establish 'social facts'
• The Census is available for anyone to use 100 years after it has been conducted, making it a secondary source
• The Crime Survey of England & Wales (CSEW) annually invites around 50,000 households in the UK to participate and records all types of crimes experienced by people, including those crimes that may not have been reported to the police
• School League Tables measure school performance data and rank schools in England annually, examining student/school achievement by raw exam results and value-added performance
• Strengths of Official Statistics

  • Practical - Cheap and Quick
  • Ethical - If Public, Informed Consent
  • Theoretical - Reliability
• Limitations of Official Statistics

  • Practical - Inflexibility
  • Ethical - Omissions, Can Leave out Useful Information
  • Theoretical - Lacks Verstehen
• Documents


  Written sources, such as diaries and letters
• Not all crimes are covered by official statistics about crime
• Official statistics lack verstehen because they do not reflect the respondent's concerns and priorities
• When collecting information through a structured questionnaire, the questions and categories have been pre-determined, with the researcher sticking to them rigidly
• This makes it impossible to develop an understanding of respondents' answers and experiences, nor does it allow the researcher to pursue any interesting differences from the norm, thereby losing valuable insights
• Exam league tables don't tell us why the school is doing well or failing, or why students are failing/passing
• Documents


  Secondary source of written data already collected by others, including public domain official reports and personal documents like diaries and autobiographies
• The MacPherson Report was a public inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack
• The public inquiry concluded that the Metropolitan Police Service was institutionally racist
• Thomas and Znaniecki used public and personal documents to gain a deeper understanding of the experience of Polish migrants moving to the USA in the 20th century
• Their research found that the Polish community was shaped less by US government policies, and more by their own culture and social ties, as they became Polish-Americans, a new ethnic group
• Anne Frank's diary documents her life whilst she was hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands
• The diary was retrieved by Miep Gier and published after the war
• Strengths of using documents

  • Practical - Cheap and quick to use
  • Ethical - If public, informed consent is not required
  • Theoretical - Can provide verstehen
• Limitations of using documents

  • Practical - Wording and meanings may be difficult to interpret
  • Ethical - Exploitation of deceased participants
  • Theoretical - Unreliable as they cannot be replicated
• Content analysis


  Quantitative method used to systematically measure the contents of collective documents
• Content analysis is favoured by positivists as it generates data that can be generalised and is reliable
• Content analysis studies


  • Glasgow Media Group's study of media coverage of the miners' strike
  • Tuchman's research on gender and higher education
  • Gerwin's study of teachers' daily logs
• Strengths of content analysis

  • Practical - Time and cost effective
  • Ethical - Concerns are minimal as it uses public domain material
• Limitations of content analysis

  • Practical - Cannot check accuracy of media content
  • Ethical - Harm to participants cannot be ruled out
  • Theoretical - Lacks verstehen as it focuses on patterns and trends rather than meanings